Breaking Down Borders: Youth Self Discovery

In the ongoing conflict-transformation work that is led by members of NSWAS, the Pluralistic Spiritual Center sup-ports the connections between spirituality —whether introspective or expressive— and the work we can do as part of healing the conflict. The Spiritual Center has de-veloped a Museum, Gallery and Archive so that the inte-gration of the arts and the spirit will have a permanent home.
On March 10, 2015, the Wahat al-Salam/ Neve Shalom Museum, Gallery and Archive extended an open invita-tion to its inaugural event: “Remembering the Righteous: For the sake of humanity and in memory of the righteous who acted to save lives in different places of genocide.” At-tended by many of all faiths and from many cities and towns in Israel, the program offered presentations and discus-sions honoring the memory of Palestinians and other Arabs who saved the lives of Jews, honoring the memory of Jews who saved lives of Palestinians and other Arabs and an introduction to the movement "Gariwo: Gardens of the Righteous Worldwide." A variety of works designed for this focus will be on long-term display.
The Museum and Gallery is the home for a new program, "Artists Creating Peace,” where 20 Palestinian and 20 Jewish artists will spend several days and a long weekend together at the Museum and Spiritual Center, building networks for ongoing connections among Jewish and Palestinian artists, and jointly creating a piece of public art which will then be on exhibit. Museum Director Dyana Shaloufi-Rizek is currently cre-ating opportunities for engaging younger and older participants in the Museum and archive work.